Romans used torches, either made of straw or with animal fat, to fight the darkness of the outdoors. However indoors, it was mainly the oil lamps (lucernae) which lit the Roman dwellings. These are small lamps made of clay or bronze, made by hand or by wheel, or by mould or overmould, with the main purpose of providing light with a flame connected to a small deposit of oil inside the "lucerna". The characteristics and decoration of the oil lamps depend on the different known varieties (volute, discus, fuel chamber, etc ) as well as its period.